Methods for Experimental Planetary Geology in Reduced-gravity Parabolic Flight: A Case Study of Researching Impact Crater Ejecta

Abstract

Geologists have long conducted laboratory experiments to offer a controlled environment for understanding processes that occur in nature and linking those processes with natural geologic landforms. And, for over 70 yr, pilots and researchers have accessed reduced-gravity and microgravity conditions by flying aircraft in parabolic arc-shaped trajectories. However, only recently (technically since the 1980s but practically since the 2010s) has experimental geology begun to find a home in reduced-gravity flight with application to the solid-bodied worlds of the solar system. The methodology of our recent experimental campaign investigating impact crater ejecta emplacement serves as a case study in reduced-gravity experimental geology. We hope this case study will inspire future utilization of reduced-gravity flight as a laboratory method for better understanding geological processes on worlds throughout the solar system.

Keywords

• Ejecta
• Craters
• Lunar craters
• Asteroid surfaces
• Mars
• Planetary geology